Definition

1. Noun:
   • Prostitution: The act or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment, typically money. This is the direct and primary meaning of the term.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Hoạt động mại dâm bị cấm ở nhiều quốc gia. (Prostitution is illegal in many countries.)
  • Các tổ chức xã hội đang nỗ lực giúp đỡ những người hành nghề mại dâm. (Social organizations are trying to help those who work in prostitution.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "mại dâm" is formal and clinical, often used in legal, sociological, or official contexts. It directly translates to "selling sex" (mại = to sell, dâm = lust/lewdness).
• "Người hành nghề mại dâm" is a formal phrase for "sex worker."
  • Chính sách mới nhằm bảo vệ sức khỏe cho người hành nghề mại dâm. (The new policy aims to protect the health of sex workers.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mại dâm trá hình (n): Disguised or covert prostitution, where sexual services are exchanged under the guise of another business, like a massage parlor or karaoke bar.
• Nạn mại dâm (n): The social problem or scourge of prostitution.

Synonyms

• Prostitution: The exchange of sexual services for money.
• Sex work: A more modern, neutral term for the provision of sexual services.
• The trade: A colloquial euphemism.

Related Idioms

• Bán phấn buôn hương: An old-fashioned literary idiom meaning "to sell powder and trade fragrances," a euphemism for prostitution.
  • Trong tác phẩm, nhân vật chính rơi vào cảnh bán phấn buôn hương. (In the literary work, the main character fell into prostitution.)